2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10- “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THOSE THORNS IN THE FLESH. We don’t know what the Apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, but we do know three things about it. First, it was painful. Had to be. It was a messenger from Satan. Second, Paul begged, pleaded, beseeched the Lord to remove it, and finally, the Lord did not do what Paul requested.
We will have such experiences as the Apostle Paul. There will be “thorns of the flesh” given to us as well. We won’t be able to label them “messengers of Satan” like Paul but they will be painful and might not be removed by the Lord. They could be a difficult circumstance that we want changed. Perhaps a challenging relationship that feels like it will never improve. Whatever it might be, it hurts and it seems as though the Lord is silent to our suffering. We might even be tempted to question His love for us as no relief seems to come.
Yet, we must see our thorns of the flesh as Paul did his, and it begins with how the Lord answered his prayer for it to be removed. We are quick to reply, “The Lord said ‘no’ to Paul’s request to have his thorn removed.” Did He? Go back and read today’s scripture again. Does God answer him with a no? He did not. He never says, “No, Paul, I won’t remove it.” Instead, He gave him something better – sufficient grace to not only endure the thorn but learn to embrace it with rejoicing. The Apostle Paul would know the Lord more intimately and the sufficiency of His grace more powerfully by not having his prayer answered as he asked; by not having his thorn in the flesh removed.
It will be the same for us. There are things in our lives, difficult things, that the Lord will not remove. He knows we need them to see how weak we are, how strong He is, and how His grace proves to be enough for all the burdens we must carry in life. And like the Apostle Paul, we will actually learn to rejoice over those thorns in the flesh God’s love sends our way!
PRAYER: Father, may I learn to embrace my thorn in the flesh and not complain of my thorn in the flesh.
REFLECTION: Thorns in the flesh are painful reminders of our need for God’s amazing grace and power.